1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a joint and, more particularly, to a joint of the type which has a cylindrical socket opened at at least one end thereof, an inner joint portion composed of a ball-shaped portion and shaft portions integral therewith, and a bearing portion received in the cylindrical socket and having a recess configured complementary to the outer configuration of the inner joint portion so as to rockably and slidably support the ball-shaped portion, the socket being provided at the other end thereof with a flange portion projecting radially inward therefrom so as to support the bearing portion. More particularly, the present invention is concerned with a joint of the type mentioned above, wherein a support is disposed within the opening of the socket at the one end so as to cooperate with the flange portion in supporting the bearing portion in the axial direction, and wherein a boot portion is disposed between the shaft portion of the inner joint portion and the socket so as to prevent any foreign matter from coming into the minute gap between sliding contact surfaces of the bearing portion and the ball portion.
2. Description of the Related Art
FIG. 10 shows a conventional joint of the type to which the invention pertains, known as pillow ball bush. This joint, generally denoted by a numeral 115, has an inner joint portion 100 which is constituted by a pair of shaft portions 101 and a ball portion 102 between these shaft portions 101. The ball portion 102 is rockably and slidably supported by a recess 103 in the bearing portion 104 which is supported by a flange portion 106 projecting radially inward from one end of a socket 105. A stopper ring or a snap ring 107 is disposed between the inner peripheral surface of an opening 108 of the socket 105 and the shaft portion 101 of the joint portion 110. More specifically, the stopper ring or the snap ring 107 is received in a groove 109 formed in the inner peripheral surface of the opening 108. The ring 107 supports the bearing portion 104 at the opposite side to the flange portion 106 of the socket 105. The joint further has a pair of boot portions 110, 111 which are disposed in the bore of the socket portion 105. More specifically, one 110 of the boot portions is disposed between the inner peripheral surface of the socket 105 and one of the shaft portions 101 of the inner joint portion 100, at the axially outer side of the snap ring 107. The other 111 of the boot portions is disposed between the inner peripheral surface of the socket 105 and the other of the shaft portions 101 of the inner joint portion 100, at the axially outer side of the flange portion 106.
The joint of the type having a snap ring, however, often exhibits looseness particularly in the portion where the snap ring is fitted, and has a small resistance against any force which acts to axially pull out the inner joint portion.